RATHER THAN leaving the field wide open to rivals such as H-P, Sun has decided to attack the market for telecoms records retention with a product called the Sun Secure Data Retrieval Server (SSDR).Naturally Sun claims its offering is much cheaper than anything rivals can offer but somewhat amusingly it also claims its solution is more ecologically sound.

That's because it uses 15 times less energy than other products while still retrieving data 20 times faster. Or so Sun claims. It also argues that SSDR will help communications service providers address the EU Data Retention Directive requirements.

The alternative is to store large volumes of compliance data such as call detail records and IP traffic. The whole thing is based on Sun's Fire X4500 serves combined with its Coppereye data retrieval technology.

Sun has even found its first customer in the UK's Kingston Communications. Sun maintains it will also be closely following the evolving ETSI standards for remote data query and hand-over to ensure compatibility with future requirements.

The motivation for tackling this particular market is that operators are seeking ways to meet EU compliance requirements without having to divert staff from vital tasks such as keeping the network going.